The Storm

When we completed the passage of the Strait of Bonifacio and entered the Tyrrhenian Sea we were confronted by electric storms that had us surrounded in all four of the horizon’s cardinal points.  Lightning illuminated the night sky between the clouds and the sea in a phantasmagoria of “fireworks”, a stunning and awesome example of nature’s titanic power.  The spectacle was so astonishing that it made us reflect about something “out there,” higher than humans and difficult to comprehend.

The earth is the only known planet with an abundance of liquid water, which covers 70 percent of its surface and gives the planet its blue appearance from space. Earth has been aptly nicknamed the “blue marble”.  Incidentally, NASA recently found and reported evidence of high salinity water on Mars—a discovery that may have major implications regarding the existence of life outside earth.

Sea waves are oscillations caused by the friction of air when it moves across the surface of the water. This friction transfers energy and forms surface waves that are perpendicular to the direction of the wind.  When the wind is from the north, the direction that the waves move is southerly.  In a big body of water like the Tyrrhenian Sea, as depicted in a study from the University of Athens, the waves can be very large, and the longer a northerly wind blows, the larger the waves can become in the southern boundaries at the latitudes of Aeolian Islands and northern coast of Sicily.    

The top of a wave is known as its crest and the foot as its trough. The distance between two crests is the wavelength. The size of ocean waves depends upon the wind speed and the distance over which the wind blows upon the water. The smallest waves are called ripples.  As strong and prolonged winds push against raised crests, though, larger and more irregular waves form, which are known as seas.  When the waves reach shallow waters near the coast they slow down, but their height increases. 

The waves reach their maximum height when the rate at which they are traveling nearly matches the speed of the wind. Over time, they naturally separate into long, powerful waves with a common direction and wavelength. Constructive interference can cause rogue waves with documented heights above 25 meters.  An encounter with rogue waves can have serious or even catastrophic consequences, even on large vessels over 100 meters in length. 

When the wind dies down, seas and swells are slowly reduced by gravity and destructive interference from other waves.

Most waves are less than 3 meters high although it is not unusual for strong storms to double or triple that height especially in open seas.

When I was watching the electric storms, which had us surrounded, I was wondering which one could reach and strike us.  The northern one caught up with us just as the clouds were covering up the stars. The seas were roaring and building up, but since it was pitch-black we could not see the waves’ height. We could feel that we were being propelled by big waves and strong winds, though, and we could hear the “whistling” of the wind’s song produced by the strumming of the shrouds.  The anemometer at the top of the mast was recording wind velocities of 30-35 knots and gusts of 40-50 knots, so our captain Nikos decided it was time to reduce canvas.  With Kostas, our youngest sailor, doing the heavy lifting in front, and me in the middle handling the lines, we quickly double reefed the main and hoisted a storm jib in front—actions that kept the boat well balanced.  The experience during the night was frightening and made us feel vulnerable, especially when we realized the waves’ size at sunrise.  Riding the waves and occasionally achieving speeds up to 12 knots, due to planning, the fright turned into exhilaration and eventually changed into a peaceful state that was beyond our understanding.  It was at this moment that our desire to continue became paramount not because of an innate desire to experience more thrills but because of our longing to reach “Ithaca,” where loved ones were eagerly waiting for our return.

The Strait of Bonifacio

We started our passage of the Strait of Bonifacio at its west end, which is wide-open sea.  Although the weather was unsettled no major storm was present in the western horizon and the navigation was easy.  Most navigators today use longitude and latitude readings obtained from GPS (Global Positing System).  As all digital instruments may malfunction knowing and using navigation methods that are always available such as information from the magnetic compass and the boat’s speed allows the navigator to know the vessels position albeit not as accurately (dead reckoning). The distance from the west end to the islands in the east varies between 20 and 40 nautical miles depending what one considers as his starting point.  

As our speed over ground was 5-6 knots and we started the crossing in the late afternoon it became apparent that we were going to reach the narrows of the strait where the islands are at night.  Night navigation especially in unfamiliar waters can be dangerous as visibility of the shore and other hazards, optimum at daytime, is limited at night.  Night navigation depends on lighthouse identification, finding Polaris, the North Star and being familiar with visible planets and stars.  In our case the planets Venus, Jupiter and the constellation of Gemini (Castor and Pollux) who were the sons of Leda and Tyndareus, the king of Sparta were in our western horizon for most of our trip.  As we were progressing eastwards the weather deteriorated and we had to deal with a light but continuous drizzle.  We put on our foul weather gear, essential clothing, for those mariners involved in open water passages as it is near impossible to avoid inclement weather.  

Fortunately, we had proper marine maps with us and our GPS was providing trust worthy latitude and longitude readings.  I cannot emphasize how important it is to study the passage on detailed marine maps in advance, record and even memorize the lighthouses which together with depth readings and most important the Lat&Long readings from the GPS makes a night passage safe instead of dealing with a catastrophe such as ending on the rocks.  

When we were at the middle of the strait we encountered several cargo vessels and at its east end at night we came close to a cruise ship, which could be easily recognized as it had a multitude of lights. On the other hand merchant marine ships have few and depend on their navigation lights (green, red and white) for visibility.  Therefore, at night good binoculars and 20/20 eyesight were needed to identify vessels and decide if we looked at their right or left side and if they were steaming towards or away from us.  Although we had a radar reflector common sense dictates that it is better for a small vessel to stay clear of the big boys.  As we advanced towards the east end of the crossing the weather worsened.  A description of our experience with the storm we encountered in the Tyrrhenian Sea will be in the next post to be uploaded in the end of this month.  I thank you my for following our crossing of the Mediterranean and wish the month of October to be good to all.